I like to use the transparency option on my images and layers. There will be no color in areas that you don't add anything to. For forum sigs, I start a new image at 600 x 200 px with transparency and proceed from there.

The first image shows some useful dialog boxes. Edit menu-->Paste as-->New Layer will paste whatever is stored in memory as a new layer taking into consideration the choices you made in the dialog boxes shown the pictures below. (Use Alt + PrtSc or Ctrl + PrtSc to capture a "print screen" of whatever is currently displayed on your computer screen.)

When you right-click on a layer in the layer list, you will see some of the same options as in the menu list. Duplicating layers is useful because you can create yourself a backup to revert to after trying a bunch of stuff that you may not like on a layer. Select a layer, right-click it on the layer list, choose "Merge down." That combines the selected layer to the next layer down. The bottom two pictures shown some useful menu items to experiment with.

Also, googling tutorials and just generally messing around in every way possible to see what stuff does is a good idea. I learned half the stuff I know now just from constant practice and experimentation, and I still have much to learn.

Make different projects with no clear intent behind them and just keep adding things you like or think fit the feel of the project and see where it snowballs to.

Gimp is a great program, nothing you can do in photoshop that you cannot do in Gimp. Adobe are like apple, really good at advertising and making you think there product is the best, even when its not. , there is no need to get/ use photoshop at all. And if you are used to photoshop, being taught it at school, then there are plugins to make gimps interface similar to photoshops.

When I was at college we used gimp for our photo editing, making game concept art, all sorts of cool stuff. At uni they have photoshop, but I don't bother using it. I have the adobe stuff installed, but rarely touch it, had to use flash for one of my modules last year, but apart from that. Gimp all the way!

(01-30-2013 05:14 PM)StarGeek77 Wrote: I like to use the transparency option on my images and layers. There will be no color in areas that you don't add anything to. For forum sigs, I start a new image at 600 x 200 px with transparency and proceed from there.

The first image shows some useful dialog boxes. Edit menu-->Paste as-->New Layer will paste whatever is stored in memory as a new layer taking into consideration the choices you made in the dialog boxes shown the pictures below. (Use Alt + PrtSc or Ctrl + PrtSc to capture a "print screen" of whatever is currently displayed on your computer screen.)

When you right-click on a layer in the layer list, you will see some of the same options as in the menu list. Duplicating layers is useful because you can create yourself a backup to revert to after trying a bunch of stuff that you may not like on a layer. Select a layer, right-click it on the layer list, choose "Merge down." That combines the selected layer to the next layer down. The bottom two pictures shown some useful menu items to experiment with.

This should be enough to get you started.

Thanks for all the help Star. My laptop just crashed and i have to re install everything. So I completely lost everything on my pc. It'l be awhile before I can practice again but thankyou. With yall's help I think I will do well. Ps. Thanks for answering my question on how to flatten an image without me even having to ask you.

Just rollen in the dirt so nobody will see me.
Real soldiers are not afraid to get their expensive suits dirty.